Buried Memories
by CrAzYDuKeDoGgIrL2009
Summary: When SG1 returns from a mission Daniel finds a journal on his desk it belonged to his parents. Inside described their plans for their future dig. To honor his parents memory and in hopes of connecting with them in some way he organizes their dig to excava


Title: Buried Memories

Disclaimer - I own nothing

For those of you have read this story before, I have made a few changes. For new readers out there, I hope you enjoy. I am currently working on Part 2 of this story and hope to have it available soon.

Summary: When SG-1 returns from a mission, he finds a journal on his desk- it belonged to his parents. Inside described their plans for their future dig. To honor his parents memory and in hopes of connecting with them in some way he organizes their dig to excavate a site believed to house artifacts about the Guardian and Gatekeeper of the Underworld -Aker.

"Incoming wormhole" the new sergeant announced as General Hammond entered the control room. SG-1 was late arriving from their current mission on PX3-435. Hammond watched as they appeared from the stargate. All seemed well with them until Dr. Daniel Jackson appeared- limping.

"You're late- care to explain?" Hammond announced over the loudspeaker into the gate room. He couldn't count the number of times a mission ended in Jackson either being injured or dead and he was not interested in the paperwork that was involved in another one of Dr. Jackson's injuries.

"Sorry 'bout that sir, you know Daniel. Always getting wrapped up in some piece of sand and clay". Colonel Jack O'Neill announced earning a look glare from Jackson. "What?" He said innocently to Jackson as the team walked out of the gate room and towards the infirmary.

"We will debrief in an hour" Hammond announced to SG-1 as they headed out.

"Jack, you know very well that this," pointing to his injured leg, "had nothing to do with 'some piece of sand and clay'. I told you- playing tag football in a…"

"Ah…Dr. Jackson; what brings you here today?" Dr. Frasier asked as Daniel and Jack walked in. Carter and Teal'c had left them on the way down in order to begin preparing their reports. Frasier pointed them towards the examination bed she always left open when SG-1 was on a mission- just in case.

"Jack decided it would be a good idea to play a game of…" Jackson started to say before O'Neill cut him off.

"What Daniel is trying to say is that he fell. You might want to check his head too, Doc" Jack explained as he gave Daniel a glare. The brass generally frowned upon playing tag football as a means of passing time while Jackson and Carter were doing their boring science stuff.

"Hmm… well, we are going to take a few pictures of that ankle to make sure it is not broken," Dr. Frasier explained as she wrote up the order and called for an orderly to take Jackson back for his films.

By the time his films were ready Carter and Teal'c had joined them in the infirmary and were discussing the upcoming movie night Teal'c would be hosting. The choices were to _The Mummy _or _Serenity_. Daniel was adamantly opposed to _The Mummy_ while Carter was tired to space travel movies. Luckily for everyone involved Dr. Frasier walked in before Daniel could fully explain the inaccuracies in Hollywood films.

"You got lucky Jackson, just a sprain- this time. You will need to keep in elevated, apply a cold compress for twenty minutes every hour. Ibuprofen for any pain and use your crutches when walking. Do you need a refresher on how to walk with them? It has been over 5 months since you have needed them. I think that is a record for you. I am also taking you off active duty for two weeks-no arguments."

After leaving Jack and Teal'c in the gym with promises of bringing seven layer dip and chips for movie night Daniel hobbled through the base to his office. Daniel could only hope that these two weeks off active duty would let him finish paper work and look at the translations SG-9 had brought him two weeks ago.

Sitting at his desk, he began to sift through his books and papers, "This is starting to look worse than Jack's desk", he mumbled to himself. He stopped when he found an old leather bound book that he did not remember being there before. A piece of paper fell out of it when he opened the cover.

"Dr. Jackson,

I am sorry it has taken so long to return this to you. This journal belonged to your father. I only found it amongst our library a few months ago and have gone through great pains to find you. I hope you this letter and journal find you well. If I find anything else of your parents amongst our library items, I will send them to you.

A. Pryer

Chapter Two

"Has anyone heard from Daniel? He never called me back last night", Jack asked as his team, sans Daniel met for their morning briefing the next day. "It is not like him to miss movie night…"

"No, I have not heard from Daniel Jackson", Teal'c answered while taking his usual seat at the briefing table. "I am sure he will provide a sufficient explanation for his absence after our meeting." Daniel finally arrived to their briefing- twenty minutes late explaining his ankle had been bothering him.

"Have you noticed anything odd about Daniel lately, Carter?" O'Neill asked as they were sitting in the mess eating dinner. It had been two weeks since they had returned from PX3-435 and neither one of them had seen much of Daniel since then.

"Not really, but now that you mention it- I haven't talked to him in…2 days. He is still on base right, sir?" Carter asked. As she asked, she realized something was wrong-Daniel was not this quiet and withdrawn anymore. "We have a mission tomorrow afternoon and Dr. Frasier has to clear him for active duty this afternoon."

Without saying another word Jack got up and headed out of the mess. "Colonel, where are you going?" Carter asked. When she got no response, she got up and followed him out and down the corridors. After a moment she realized they were headed to Daniel's office. "Colonel, what do you plan on doing?" Again, her question brought no response.

"Yes, thank you very much," Daniel said. He hung up the phone as Sam and Jack walked into his office. They taken aback by how organized everything was- papers and books were neatly stacked and organized, artifacts organized on the far table and all the trash was in the trashcan.

"Daniel? Who are you what have you done with our Daniel?" Jack asked as he surveyed the room. The last time this office had been this neat was before Daniel joined the team. At hearing Jack's voice Daniel looked up from his papers.

"Oh…hi guys," Daniel said when he noticed their arrival. "What's up?" Daniel's glasses were halfway down his nose; his hair was shaggy and looked as if it had not been brushed in a week.

"So, what have you been up to this week? Haven't seen you around much lately. Read any good books lately?" Jack asked as he picked up the journal which Daniel had left open on his desk.

"No, not really," Daniel said as he grabbed the book back from Jack. "So, if you guys don't need anything. I have a meeting with the General and I don't want to be late," Daniel told them as he grabbed his jacket and headed out the door, journal still in hand.

"Why do I feel like I have just been blown off?" Jack asked to Sam as they headed down the hall after Daniel.

"So, how long do you think you will gone, Dr. Jackson?" General Hammond asked. Daniel had just informed him of his plans. While reading his parent's journal, Daniel discovered his parents had been planning a new dig that was scheduled to start after the exhibit at the Met. The idea of a dig intrigued Daniel and he began making a few calls. After a few calls and research, Daniel managed to obtain a position on a new dig that was scheduled to start in a month. Daniel was thrilled- most of the people he would be working with he hadn't seen in years and was looking forward to working with them again. Everything was just falling into place- things just felt right. He hadn't felt like this since before his parents had died.

"I am not sure sir, but at the least 6 months. It is going to take awhile to set up and get acquainted and then the actual dig…"

"Take however long you need Jackson," Hammond interrupted Daniel. He was not actually interested in hearing every detail of what happens before, during _and_ after a dig. He smiled to himself- sometimes he noticed how much he and O'Neill shared the same preference for directness and simplicity.

"Thank you sir, I will be leaving next week. I need to get my affairs in order hear before I can leave."

"Good luck Dr. Jackson. I hope you will keep us informed as to how your project is going. Hammond rose from his desk and walked around to give Daniel a handshake.

"Of course, sir. I will leave contact information in case anyone here needs anything. I will be taking a few things with me that still need translation," Daniel told the General.

"Just make sure you follow procedure and keep any…" Hammond started to remind him.

"I know sir, no one will see anything alien or that gives reverence to aliens," Daniel said. "Thank you sir, I guess I should go inform the others now".

Chapter 3

"Daniel, you can't just leave. We have missions planned, system lords to stop, and wars to prevent. They just can't be put on hold for 6 months while you go dig around in the sand," Jack said after Daniel had told the team about his plans. While he would never admit it, he was going to miss Daniel. The boy was always dying or disappearing and it never got any easier. Now Daniel was talking about leaving- voluntarily.

"I am sorry Jack. But this is something I have to do. Besides, it is not like I can't come back if need be. We will be in contact. I just need to do this, Jack", there was a slight pleading in Daniel's voice as he said that last part. His team members could see in his eyes that this was important to him and there would be no way to talk him out of it.

"Well, just make sure you have a guest tent set up and ready at all times for us. 'Cause I have leave and I have always wanted to see the pyramids," Jack told Daniel. That was as close to telling Daniel how he really felt, as he would ever get.

"Actually Jack, I won't actually be at the…never mind. Not a problem. You all are welcome to come by anytime. I would love it. But, now unfortunately, I have to go now. I need to get my place ready and finish packing. I will see you guys later."

"Be safe Daniel. Make sure to email us as often as possible," Sam told Daniel as they embraced. Sam could not quiet believe that Daniel was leaving them for 6 months.

"I will. Don't worry," he told her as they broke their embrace.

"Good luck Daniel Jackson. Have a safe trip and much success in your dig," Teal'c said to Daniel.

"Thank you Teal'c. I am going to miss you guys. I am glad that you all understand why I am doing this," Daniel said. He could feel himself getting a little emotional. It was never easy saying good-bye; even it was only for a few months.

Chapter 4

The flight to Egypt was long, longer than Daniel remembered-plane rides were simply not as traveling by stargate. However, it gave him the opportunity to reread his parent's journal as well as going over the reports on the site preparation. They would be ready to start within the week. Daniel was still amazed at his luck in obtaining his spot on this team. He could remember as a child, his parents spending months talking about and planning a dig.

"Daniel!"

Daniel looked around for the source of the sound. His had just walked out the door of the plane and headed down the stairs- no jet ways to the terminal here. They walked off the plane right onto the runway.

At the end of the runway, Daniel saw a familiar figure standing there. Tomas Esposito, an old college friend as well as a former colleague. They had worked together on a few digs and some research together before Daniel's work took him away from the accepted theories.

"Tomas! It is great to see you. How have you been?" Daniel asked as the two men met each other near the terminal entrance.

"It has been good. I was surprised to hear from you. I thought you had just disappeared or something. No one has heard anything from you in awhile. What have you been doing?" He asked Daniel as they began walking towards the luggage collection area.

"Hmm… what have I been up to these last few years?" Daniel said. He tried to think of an answer to Tomas' question as they got into his car and began to head of the airport. He finally decided that honesty, within the confines of security clearances would allow, was the best policy "I have been working with the US military-it is classified though".

"Oh… we always knew you would get yourself into something", Tomas said. He could not hold back a slight laugh. "You always had a way of getting yourself into things. I still remember that time in Gaza when you…."

"Yes, we all remember that time. No need to bring that up again", Daniel said- a hint of embarrassment and glee in his eye. Jack would never let him live that day down if he ever heard that story. Good thing no one in the US knew that story.

Daniel and his team spent the next two weeks getting the site ready for digging. During those weeks Daniel was kept busy, meeting the people involved in the dig, taking care of paperwork, making sure there were sufficient supplies and talking with the grant organization about distribution of funds. He barely had time to think about the SGC and his _other_ team.

The dig proceeded as normal for the next month, nothing major was discovered- just a few pots and a tablet. No one could figure out what the tablet said- none of the archeologists were familiar with the dialect. So, it had been sitting on Daniel's desk for two weeks waiting to be analyzed.

"Oh Daniel". Daniel turned at hearing the sound of his name. Behind him, standing inside the nearby tent stood Jack.

"Jack! What are you doing here?" Came Daniels surprised response. He had no idea that Jack was coming. All he could think was- I knew I should have kept up with my mail.

"You said you would be keeping in contact. You lied. Also, General Hammond and the rest of us were expecting a visit from you last week. Remember… you were supposed to some back for a week to check up on affairs at the SGC?" Jack said as he and Daniel shook hands.

"No Jack, that isn't for another two weeks. August 15. I wrote it down on my calendar," Daniel said as he gestured towards the piles stacked on top of what appeared to be a desk.

"Daniel, it's the 27th. I think you must have lost track of time out here in the desert. Happens to the best of us," Jack said. A hint of humor in his voice as he remembered all the times Daniel was late to or forgot meetings because he was so wrapped up in some artifact.

"Sorry Jack. Didn't mean to worry you guys. It has just been so busy around here and I'm so far behind. I guess I forgot all the work it takes to keep a dig going. I hardly have had any time to do any digging myself."

"It's alright. But, the General does expect me to bring you back for a while now. We have some things that need to be translated. We also are in the middle of a little _incident_. It seems the inhabitants of P9X-757 didn't like US military issue sunglasses and our original team there is having some problems maintaining their naquadah mine", Jack explained to Daniel as they took seats inside Daniel's tent.

"Oh, why didn't someone contact me?"

"We did. See on your desk there. Several letters marked Priority on your desk and few telegrams as well."

"Oh, right…yeah. I knew I should have kept up with my mail".

To be honest, Daniel did not want to go back to the SGC right then. He had a feeling that something big was going to happen soon and he wanted to make sure he was there for it. He had missed too many archaeological breakthroughs and discoveries on Earth during the past few years. He knew that he had taken part of some amazing discoveries on other worlds; he just missed the environment of dig sights and lecture halls.

"Before we go Jack, I need to translate this tablet that was found at one of the sites. It has been sitting here for awhile now and the team doesn't want to continue on for much longer without knowing what the tablet says," Daniel told Jack as they were getting Daniel's things together for the trip. Well, Daniel thought, at least that is almost true. The tablet did need to be translated and the team did want to know what it said but that was not a stopping point in the dig.

"Well, make sure you pack it carefully or take lots of pictures cause we are leaving tomorrow," Jack knew what Daniel was trying to do and stalling tactics did not work on him. After being married, having a child and working with Daniel for the past several years, Jack knew all the tricks in the book.

"Jack, I … never mind," Daniel said as he sat down at his desk and got ready to start translating the tablet. As he looked over the tablet he realized that it was a mix of Egyptian hieroglyphs and an old dialect of Gou'ald. He found it quiet easy to translate, which was odd because all translations took at least a few minutes-but he read through the tablet as if it were English. What he read made him gasp.

"Jack, listen to this. This tablet gives details on a Gou'ald device that allows a person to communicate with the dead. This device was made and used as an item of worship by Aker- the Egyptian god of the Underworld. Apparently…"

"Akum, what," Jack asked with a look on his face reserved for when Daniel and Carter started talking science.

"Ahh, Jack. Aker was one of the earlier Egyptian gods. He was the horizon, representing the west and east borders of the Underworld. Often represented by two lions-one facing east and one west with the horizon between them, these figures were often placed at the doors of palaces and tombs to ward away evil spirits. He protected the sun god-Ra. He allowed his safe passage at night and he held the coil of the snake, Apophis. Ra and Apophis- Jack can you believe it? Aker also had the power to annul death, it was said that he could suck the venom from a snakebite as a person tried to pass into the underworld. Jack, this tablet…this is amazing. I don't think Ra was the only Gou'ald to inhabit Earth. The tablet mentions a device, something about conquering death, but not how to work it or where to find it but, Jack do you realize what this means. I could…" Daniel stopped mid-ramble.

"Don't even think about it Daniel," Jack interrupted him coming out of his daze, "we have to go. This does not sound like something we should be getting into right now. The dead are dead and that is how they should stay. Something like this would just mess with a person. Do you know what we went through every time you showed up after you ascended? It wasn't easy Daniel. None of us liked it. This is not something you want to mess with".

Daniel was overwhelmed by the emotion that Jack was allowing himself to show. It was rare that Jack was this open with anyone and Daniel knew that this must be very important to him if he was going to be this open about how he felt.

"Alright Jack, I understand what you are saying. It couldn't have been very easy on you guys. Not that it was easy for me. You know there were rules and I broke a lot of them just doing what I did. Don't worry Jack, I won't mess with this device and I won't let anyone else either. If we find something like this, I will have it sent to the SGC for testing. Ready to go?"


End file.
